The alternative valuations are right there in the market. If "alternative valuations" I were to place an order to purchase 100 shares of apple stock at $10 per

The alternative valuations are right there in the market. If "alternative valuations" I were to place an order to purchase 100 shares of apple stock at $10 per share simply because I favor an alternative valuation I could do so but my order will not be filled. This is because the valuation is not correct. "alternative business models" Publicly traded companies emphasize stock value because it is their duty to do so. The owners of the company have a right to collectively demand this. If the company fails to promote the value of the stock then the owners will sell their stock and the price will adjust to reflect this increase in supply/fall in demand. "free public access to data/hyper-speed trading platforms" They are publicly available but they are not free. Data is a good, goods cost money. Believe it or not it takes quite a lot of effort to deliver these products. "bit pattern" What are you talking about? DRM in finance? You aren't making sense here. "There is no such thing as a market" Yes there is. People buy and sell companies and commodities on various exchanges. These exchanges are called markets. "buyers form cartels and dictate prices" The market dictates prices. There are market makers who are legally obligated to buy and sell within a certain range of the free market price. This ensures liquidity and it is not some sort of scam. "manipulation couldn't happen" Your sarcasm is obvious. People commit crimes, it doesn't mean that the whole system is broken. Often they also go to jail for these crimes.